


Safety Hazard

by congregationsvagrant, UnlitBec



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-10
Updated: 2015-05-10
Packaged: 2018-03-29 22:57:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3913798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/congregationsvagrant/pseuds/congregationsvagrant, https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnlitBec/pseuds/UnlitBec
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Josh was used to routines, organisation and generally being a good kid. He was expected to be nice, graduate and go to college. He was not expected to befriend a strange boy living in the woods.</p><p>But he did, and that's where it all got complicated.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Safety Hazard

_“I don't understand why everything I adore_

_Takes a different form when I squint my eyes_

_Have you ever done that?_

_When you squint your eyes_

_And your eyelashes make it look a little not right_

_And then when just enough light_

_Comes from just the right side_

_And you find you're not who you're supposed to be?”_

_— Forest by Twenty One Pilots_

****  


Frustration simmered in Josh’s chest. He was usually a patient person, but that was just too much. Leaves crunched beneath his feet as he walked. He felt a bit like the leaves, fallen and stepped on hundreds of times over and over again. The sound of them beneath his feet was oddly satisfying like a little tiny fracture of his anger was left behind in each footprint. He wasn’t stomping, he was walking with purpose… purpose that may have been a little stompy. The day just hadn’t gone his way at all. He wasn’t normally an angry guy, but since he woke up everything had been a little overwhelming and it felt as if the whole world was against him.

It had started with his alarm clock. It had felt like he’d only just closed his eyes when it rang, and before he’d completely come to his senses the shrill ring that echoed in his ears had been silenced with a punch. A punch that, much to his dismay when he was completely awake, had been fatal to the machine. Josh’s mother had been unimpressed to say the least. It had all been downhill from there. He had avoided going downstairs until 5 minutes before he had to leave, even if it did mean sacrificing his breakfast, which usually he wouldn’t ever go without. He couldn’t deal with his parents that morning - there was no doubt they would find some way to stress him out.

School had sucked hardcore. He’d been involved in a fight with some assholes who thought picking on freshmen was funny, which had led to a minor black eye and a small disagreement with the Principal in his office, and that had led to a slightly bigger yet no more pleasant disagreement with his parents. And then he was wandering in the woods fuming because he was sick of it all. Sick of being pressured, sick of his parents making everything he did into a massive problem. He had been sticking up for someone, not destroying the school. He had to do it - there was no way he could stand by and watch.

He hated it so much when people tried to force him to be someone he wasn’t. It was something he never understood - why people changed to be the person other people want them to be. He just wanted to help people, was that such a bad thing?

He always felt better alone and the forest behind his house really comforted him. He didn’t even notice how cold it was out until he began to slowly calm down, footprints becoming less deep, and his steps became slower. He pulled his jacket tighter around himself and shuddered in the chilly air.

Looking around he realised the slight problem with disappearing into the woods to think… he was a little bit lost. No wonder his parents spent his childhood telling him not to leave the yard. Not that he ever listened, but he never went too far from the house. The trees had an air of foreboding about them and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t find it a little fascinating. His teeth chattered slightly as he forced himself to keep going - he didn’t see much point in going back to just get yelled at again so early, and he hoped he would find his way out eventually, so he kept walking deeper into the forest.

He pretended it wasn’t getting dark and the hairs on his neck weren’t standing up. It was fine. He was fine. As he ventured further into the trees he watched as all the light was sucked slowly out of the clearing he was stood in, even the sunset disappeared to nothing… _darkness_.

It was the light that caught his attention at first, just a tiny flicker of white-orange out of the corner of his eye. He turned, at first he thought he might be going crazy… there was nothing but darkness and although he liked being on his own, it was starting to suffocate him. Maybe he was mad.  And then it happened again. A small glow hiding between the trees, disappearing only to reappear seconds later. He stumbled blindly towards it, almost falling on his face a couple of times over roots disguised by the night. He was curious to find out what it was, but it was more out of desperation for light that he made his way towards the glowing light. His mother’s voice faintly reminded him he could be heading towards a serial killer for all he knew, but he pushed her to the back of his mind.

His hands pressed against the rough bark of trees, guiding him towards it. He was pretty sure his jacket had caught on a branch at some point, and had ripped, but by that point he was far past caring. His eyes were slowly getting used to the dim light, and he could make out the rough shape of some sort of structure raised off the ground. He squinted at it uncertainly. The light flickered again; it was definitely coming from the structure.

It took Josh's eyes a moment to adjust, and then it clicked. Someone was in there. He forced a small smile, told himself that it was a good thing, and pushed on until he could brush his fingertips against the wall. It was a tree house, set deep into the woods, much like the ones his father had promised to make him when he was young. He never got one though, his father just made excuses whenever he had brought the idea up. Josh looked up longingly, unable to suppress his desperate want for his own treehouse. His own little treehouse. A wave of nostalgia flowed over him as he ran his fingers across the wood. It was so dark, he had no idea what it looked like, but he could imagine it - a little wooden house settled far up in the branches of the trees, like it belonged there from the start of time. Like it was meant to be there, the tree grown and wrapped around it. He shivered again, and stomped his feet before feeling around blindly for a ladder. He was frozen, and there was a person up there. He couldn’t really see any other option - he was lost far beyond getting home easily, and his phone had died a good while back.

“Shit!” He hissed as he sat up, and felt his knee for the scrape he knew would be there. He had reached out to grab what he thought was a ladder, but he had grabbed at nothing and fallen face-first. His head jerked up as a small - only just audible - gasp echoed from above him, and he heard scratching and scrambling noises on the wood. He suddenly felt sick to his stomach, but they knew he was there now.

The orange flickering had stopped, and somehow he knew that the person must be hiding from him. He would too, if it were him in a treehouse at night, much further into the forest than anyone would find him, hearing someone outside. He held his breath, frozen in place for a moment, and then he heard the slow creak of movement on wood.

“H-hello?” A quiet voice called out into the night. Josh felt his lungs deflate, releasing a breath he hadn’t known he had been holding. There was a moment of silence and just as Josh was about to reply he was sent tumbling back with a shout of surprise as the orange glow flickered back to life and a face appeared in front of him.

“Oh geez,” A sheepish voice came from above him. “I’m so sorry!”

Josh felt a pair of hands pulling him up off the hard packed dirt ground. He staggered to his feet a little dazed; trying to work out what was going on. Once again an orange light filled the few feet around him and he flinched unwillingly at the startling brightness. He was right - it was a treehouse, with a small ladder made of branches and rope, and, at that moment, a boy was crouching above him. He was squinting at Josh in concern, his dirty face highlighted by a small flame in his hand - it was a lighter, Josh realised. He opened his mouth to speak, but his voice caught. He was freezing still, and the boy was still watching him, as if expecting some sort of answer that Josh didn’t have. He coughed slightly, clearing his throat.

“Hi!” he nodded to the boy, who made no move whatsoever to respond. “Uh... I’m Josh. Look, I’m lost. Like, really lost, and really cold. Can you point me in a direction or…” He trailed off, unsure of what to say next. The boy had a ghost of a smile on his lips.

“Why are you out here anyway? No one comes out here," He asked Josh, raising one eyebrow slightly, the flickering light making it more obvious and cliche-horror-movie than it should have been.

“You’re here.” Josh pointed out quietly, shuffling his feet nervously before mumbling on. “I..uh...I wanted to get away for a bit, you know? It’s been...difficult at home right now…” A look Josh couldn't decipher flashed across the boy's face. Something about that sentence seemed to hit the boy hard. He stepped up the ladder, and motioned with a small smile for Josh to follow him.

Josh hesitated slightly, thoughts flashing to those bad crime dramas his mom always watched in the evenings, but the cold nudged him forward and he followed the boy inside. The treehouse was dark and smelled musty like damp wood and... smoke? That was odd. He listened to the strange boy stumble around for a minute, the sound of things clattering about as they were moved filled the quiet shack. The boy seemed to know where everything was even in the dark, and even to Josh, it was a bit spooky. Josh shivered, he wasn't sure if it was to do with the cold anymore.

"Sorry... hold on, almost- ha!" A triumphant giggle came from the corner and suddenly light flooded the room. Josh blinked, eyes unused to the brightness, and rubbed at his face for a moment to focus on his surroundings.

Josh's breath left him again as he took it all in. The room was bigger than he'd previously thought, wide and open even in the dimness. Candles filled the wooden hut, casting a yellow glow across the moist walls and drawing his attention to the small pile of burned out wicks and wax in the corner. It was a safety hazard, but a beautiful one. The treehouse was obviously old, made of some dark wood that appeared to have once been smooth, but was now weathered and splintery. Ivy curled its way inside the broken glass of the furthest window and climbed the wall like a burst of colourful life against the harsh tones of the night. The floor was scattered with little bits of trash and old drink cans, bits of paper half scrawled upon littered the corner in which a nest of blankets and what looked like a ragged sleeping bag was piled.

Josh looked up feeling slightly bewildered and caught sight of the boy before him. Unlike the treehouse, the boy seemed smaller than Josh had first realised; he was all grubby skin and thin wrists. His clothes were dirty and falling apart, tears in the knees of his jeans revealed angry red welts where he'd obviously recently fallen down, and a battered (but clearly well cared for) red beanie hat sat snugly upon his head. But it was not the boy's forlorn appearance that first caught Josh's attention - it was the sincere brown eyes gazing back at him. Josh had alway thought that brown eyes were just...empty, but the boy’s were the opposite - full of a strange kind of hope. Josh was caught off guard by the complete air of innocence the boy projected.

"Do... do you live here?" Josh furrowed his brow, the realisation wash over him as he glanced at a half shredded backpack by the nest. The boy looked at his feet, so Josh couldn't fathom his expression, wringing his hands nervously.

"I... uh, I'm- would you like a drink?" The boy stuttered. Josh blinked in surprise. He wasn't used to treehouse hospitality.

"Uh, okay?" He replied uncertainly. The boy busied himself with the ruined backpack, sinking to his knees to search through it with his back to Josh. There was dirt on the back of his neck and Josh could see tufts of dark hair sticking out from under the hat. All at once it struck him how absurd this all was. It was the middle of the night, the middle of the woods, and he had no phone and no map and absolutely no way of telling his parents he was alright. He had scraped knees, red palms and he was stood in a treehouse with a strange boy that looked like he'd recently stepped out of a dumpster.

A small yet hysterical giggle escaped Josh's lips. The boy's head whipped around, staring at him questioningly.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

No. "Yes," Josh lied through his teeth. "I think I just need to sit down."

"Oh yes, please do," The boy said with an eager nod. He motioned to the pile of blankets. Josh eyed them warily... what if they had bed bugs in them?

The boy's expectant gaze was so earnest Josh couldn't ignore it. With a mental sigh of pain he slowly lowered himself into the corner, perching himself awkwardly atop the nest. He found he couldn't help but return the other boy's pleased smile, even if it was a little awkward. The boy returned to picking through his few belongings. Josh watched carefully, occasionally glancing around at the dying shack. He wondered what the story behind the treehouse was, and how he'd never found it before on his woodland adventures. How far had he come into the forest?

He was tugged out of his thoughtful reverie by the boy's face appearing in front of him again. He jerked back slightly, but the boy only held up what was in his hands. It was a chunk of what looked to be slightly stale bread and a half empty bottle of water. Josh stared at it. The boy stared at him. Josh felt a little sick.

"Thanks..." He said slowly, trying to hide his dismay as he accepted the unappetising meal.

The boy stared at him for another few seconds, and then his face lit up with a smile so unfeigned that it made Josh want to hug the kid despite the fact he smelled a bit like he’d been bathing in a swamp. When the boy turned away again, busying himself with the bag once more, Josh quickly tore off as much of the bread as he could and sat on it. There was no need to hurt the kid’s feelings, he was obviously just being nice. Josh wasn’t that hungry anyway.

Josh’s stomach rumbled loudly.

The boy turned around and raised an eyebrow. Josh quickly lifted the bread to his lips with a smile and pretend to be chewing. The boy smiled again and returned to his search. Josh shifted uncomfortably in the silence - it wasn’t awkward exactly, just… void of any comfort.

“So…” He started. The boy froze. “What are you doing out here?”

There was a beat of silence followed by, “What are you doing out here?”

Josh looked at the wall. Clearly they were at a stalemate.

“Do you have a name?” Josh asked after another awkward few seconds.

“...no,” The boy replied.

“No?” Josh repeated. “You don’t have a name.”

The boy shook his head.

“Well I can’t just keep calling you ‘tree boy’ in my head can I? So what should I call you?”

The boy shrugged unhelpful. Josh sighed and resisted the urge to rub his temples. This was not the kind of night he’d had planned. If he _had_ planned this night and it had involved going into the woods then it also probably would’ve involved bringing food, torches and another person with him. There would also probably be sex. He was pretty sure tonight was not going to end in sex.

“Well… I’m Josh, if that helps…” Josh supplies, helpfully.

Tyler nodded in acknowledgement. Josh pressed on hoping to break the odd tension building up around them.

"Josh Dun... well it's Joshua, but everyone calls me Josh William Dun. Josh."

The boy nodded again.

"Please tell me your name," Josh said somewhat desperately. "Or at least something to call you..."

The boy stared at him again for another few seconds and for a moment Josh was sure he was going to refuse again. And then...

"Tyler," The boy said softly. "My name is Tyler."

Josh smiled. It somehow felt better with a name for the boy. Tyler.

“Nice to meet you, Tyler,” He said. Tyler smiled and sat back on the floor in front of Josh.

“Tell me why you’re here, Josh” He whispered, barely audible. Josh looked up and began to shake his head slowly. He wasn’t going to spill everything to a stranger. Tyler probably wouldn’t even care. As if on cue, Tyler leant forward slightly.

“I’ll listen.” he promised, slightly louder - loud enough for Josh to know it was genuine.

Josh debated mentally for a minute over whether he should tell him or not. On the one hand he didn’t really feel like talking about it, but on the other Tyler’s wide doe eyes had something unignorable about them. It was tempting. He really did need to tell someone, or he would explode, he just didn’t expect it to be a stranger in a small, falling apart treehouse. He grinned to himself - the whole situation was ridiculous, and completely against what his parents had taught him. Tyler cocked his head questioningly. Josh nervously intertwined his fingers in his lap, and began to tell Tyler about his day.

“So like… I broke my alarm clock,” He began, and then paused. It sounded stupid - even to him - but that was the start. And he was telling it from the start.

“Go on,” Tyler encouraged kindly.

“I… no, it’s stupid,” Josh shook his head and picked at the fraying hem of his sleeve. He had ripped it earlier, he noticed. Not that it really mattered since there was nothing he could do about it.

“I’m sure it’s not,” Tyler urged him.

Josh sighed gently and bit at his lip before carrying on. “I broke my alarm clock, and mom got mad because it’s like… the third one I’ve broken. Then there was this kid in the hallway, and these guys were pushing him around because he had pink shoelaces. He didn’t do anything wrong. He can have damn pink shoelaces if he wants! He was only a kid… so I asked them what the hell their problem was and then we were fighting. So I got called into the office, and they called my parents…”

Josh could feel the frustration re-entering his body. He picked at his sleeve slightly more aggressively, tugging hard on threads poking out of the hemming.

“Mom and dad were acting like I just shouldn’t have stepped in or something, like he was a kid you know? They were using homophobic language!” Josh’s eyes were fixed on his own shoelaces - blue ones he’d chosen a few years before. His anger was pouring out of him like a waterfall that he couldn’t stop.

“Like… no one should be attacked for their sexuality, y’know?” Tyler nodded hastily. “But they just kept saying things like 'You need to do better at school, Josh' and 'You can’t go picking fights at school', _what else was I supposed to do?_ ”

Josh’s fist was clenched around a ball of threads torn from his sleeve now. He breathed slow and heavy, trying to calm himself down. Tyler reached out a hand - he flinched back.  

“So yeah…” Josh said, quietly. “I came out here and then it got dark… I didn’t have a torch,” He mumbled, before looking back up at Tyler. “Yeah, so that’s my story I guess…”

There’s a few seconds of silence, and then…

“You can stay here if you like,” Tyler offered quietly, Josh thought maybe he heard a hint of hope in Tyler’s tone, but it was probably him imagining things. “Tonight I mean. I have two blankets.”

It felt so wrong to Josh. It was _everything_ he had been told not to do, but after his day, made him want to do it more. Plus he was almost eighteen. He could totally handle himself.

“Okay,” He said, forcing himself to sound more confident than he felt. His voice broke a little at the end of the word, but Tyler didn’t seem to notice. Oh God, Tyler could be a serial killer for all he knew.

“You’re not a serial killer, are you?” He blurted out before he could stop himself. “Or...or something?” he added on hesitantly, trying to make himself sound less terrified of the idea.

Tyler giggled quietly. “I’m not a serial killer… or something,” He mumbled reassuringly.

Josh felt slightly calmer after that. Tyler seemed genuine, and more real than any of the other people he knew.

“Tell me about yourself, Tyler,” He asked.

“There’s nothing to tell,” Tyler shrugged. He said it in such a finite way that Josh felt he couldn’t press further. “I’m no-one” Tyler’s eyes flicked up to meet Josh’s. They seemed different, emptied slightly of their emotion.

Josh didn’t know what to say to that.

“We should sleep,” Tyler announced suddenly. He moved over to the nest and pulled it apart, separating blankets and from one another. He held one up (Josh noticed it was slightly less dusty than the rest) and offered it to Josh. “This one’s the softest.”

“Oh,” Josh took it carefully. “Are you sure you don’t want it?”

“You’re the guest,” Tyler insisted.

“...Are you sure?” Josh asked. He felt a little bad, the blanket Tyler was pulling around himself didn’t look very warm. “We could share this one if you like? It looks big enough.”

Tyler stared at him. Josh shuffled awkwardly, not quite knowing where to look. Tyler mumbled something too quiet for Josh to hear.

"Pardon?"

"I kick in my sleep," Tyler said a little louder.

Josh snorted slightly. “ It’s okay...people tell me I snore.” He turned to look back at Tyler, who was staring back at him with wide eyes. He coughed awkwardly before holding the blanket up.

"So... sharing?"

"Okay," Tyler nodded.

Josh scooted towards the other boy and held out half of the blanket. The floor didn't exactly look like the comfiest place to sleep, but it was the best place Josh had and he needed all the rest he could get if he was going to search for home tomorrow. They settled down next to each other, Josh trying to ignore the scent of sweat and unwashed skin in favour of closing his eyes and shutting out the world.

"Goodnight, Joshua Dun," Came a quiet voice from beside his ear.

"Goodnight, Tyler," Josh replied.

Josh didn't remember falling asleep, but he definitely slipped into his unconscious state worrying about the boy next to him and what he was doing living in the woods. It unsettled him greatly.

 


End file.
